Ballast blocks are an essential item for a variety of rigging applications. In particular, when box trusses are deployed, ballast blocks provide a sufficiently heavy base to ensure stability and safety of the truss.
A typical ballast block weighs several thousand pounds. Often constructed of steel and filled with concrete, the considerable weight of the block helps it fulfill its ballasting purpose. This considerable weight, however, makes it difficult to transport and accurately position during installation, and then remove after use.
Heavy equipment, such as forklifts, can easily pick up and move the ballast block. Such heavy equipment, however, is impractical for most installations. In particular, in the tight backstage areas of many theaters and venues it is not possible to navigate a forklift. In addition, when the actual installation calls for locating the ballast block in close proximity to other equipment and support structures, a forklift cannot be used. Further, even when using a forklift is possible, the expense of renting, transporting, operating, and removing the forklift can be prohibitive.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.